where i come from
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and still, whenever I go back, I feel like a child—perhaps because I left at the age of thirteen. Perhaps because I feel a thrill at everything there: the breezes, the ocean, the tropical sun. Or it could be the smiles, the scents, the food and art, music, dance. The colors! It's all still amazing for some reason. I carry a lot of those things in me, but being there is like being on a stage where I can enjoy them in a different way. A much more real way.
Cuando no estoy contigo yo te invento | When not with you I invent you
from Isla Bella
I usually walk through Old San Juan every day when I am home ... to my mother's chagrin.
House sign on a building | Old San Juan
growing up
I have grown through many stages, suppose we all do. First as a child on the island, then an adolescent in the states, a young mother in Venezuela, a professional wherever work has taken me, and now settled in the Northeast, but still growing.
There is no end to growing
My childhood memories are dreamy & joyful, so idyllic I sometimes wonder. Lived and experienced many adventures (which I kept to myself, afraid none of my friends would believe them, as they were extraordinary to me), didn't learn to swim pretty, had good manners and was polite (so I am told), and liked all kinds of music (which I still do). Had terrific grandparents.
Years ago at El Morro Fort | Old San Juan
where i've been
I was fortunate to travel the world — except to my wistful destinations of Egypt and Tahiti. Have experienced and seen much, and realize that, although locales and customs may differ, as humans we are very much the same, yet unique. "Just" born under different circumstances, in different beds.
“As exotic as destinations are, they are common. The children in silk coats were on their way to school just as a neighbor could be on our side of the world. How we see our surroundings, and our destiny within it, could alter our paths if we allow it. We see what we want to see, and find no excitement at ten in the morning unless we want it and look for it with fervor ..."
from Like A Blue Thread
Years and years ago | Ahmedabad, India
what i want
life is childhood for eternity
from Like A Blue Thread
I love penguins & beaches
Love some butterflies too, and dragonflies, traveling, flowing hair, strung lights, flickering lights, lightning bugs. Food, reading. Being barefoot. Singing (although I am not good at it). Scents. Laughter. Honest children, as I believe honesty opens and frees mind and soul. Honest grownups too, of course, but an honest child is a joy.
Dislike (may even abhor) injustice, lies, bigotry, undue silence, winter, expectations
random thoughts,
thereabouts
7,984,231
Words matter
That we can put into words what we feel and see,
what is in our minds, whether on a scrap of paper, a napkin, on skin,
is a gift.
With them we express
ire, joy, wonder. What is inside.
Do we know what is inside? Should others?
The written word, like the spoken word, is for eternity, it is infinite.
WordS affect
sometimes affecting even oneself, and they remain, just as silence remains.
To touch someone with love & compassion, with everything I could ever want, is more than a gift.
Would you allow
yourself to be touched?
You may not
regret it.
Favorite
reads
One Hundred Years of Solitude
The Journey of Ibn Fattouma
Hills Like White Elephants
Eyes of a Blue Dog
Anna Karenina
The Translator
Crescent
Bible
When I was Puertorican
favorite
art
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museu Picasso, Barcelona
Picasso | certain periods
Museo de Arte, Ponce
Paul Gauguin
Angel Botelló
Edgar Degas
a child's
Flaming June
Favorite
authors
Robert Louis Stevenson
William Shakespeare
Esmeralda Santiago
Ernest Hemingway
Lady Lee Andrews
Agatha Christie
Robert Frost
C.S. Lewis
Gabriel García Márquez
Favorite
things
dancing alone
(sometimes w/ others)
to speak my mind
watching news
to golf well
gardening
laughter
to cook
the scent of jasmine
love affair with (besides paper)
destinations
Garlic, cilantro and coriander, curries, rice . . .
Mornings ||| prefer sunrises to sunsets
The colors orange and white, although I (almost) love all
Fabric ~ especially linen
Music
Puerto Rico
a garden
Spain
Italy
a beach
Scotland
airports
India
Sting concerts
a golf course
Israel
home
© Inés Santiago 2019-2022 | all rights reserved | member of The Authors Guild
Dislike (may even abhor) injustice, lies, bigotry, undue silence, winter, expectations
love affair with (besides paper)
Garlic, cilantro and coriander, curries, rice . . .
Mornings ||| prefer sunrises to sunsets
The colors orange and white, although I (almost) love all
Fabric ~ especially linen
Music
7,984,231
random thoughts,
thereabouts
I love penguins & beaches